Wu Ching-ju

Wu Ching-ju was born in the tranquil rural setting of Fonglin, Taiwan. She grew up fascinated by the ancient traditions of China and after secondary school soon became interested in the traditional art of flower arranging, embracing the disciplines of simplicity, elegance and harmony which are essential ingredients of ancient Chinese culture and spiritual well-being.

In the 80s Wu Ching-ju moved from Taiwan to the USA, where her Dutch husband had been assigned to work and where she remained fascinated with ancient Chinese culture and history. In 1993, after she moved to Holland, she enrolled in art classes in Maastricht to master western art techniques where she was introduced to the discipline of sculpture.

Ching-ju's excitement stems from fusing Chinese with Western culture. She finds inspiration in the history, legends and religions of China, from the worldly royal households of the emperors of China to the spiritual side of the poor monk and his followers.

Commenting on her work, she says, "Emotions play an important part in my work. With each statue or painting I try to express a feeling, with serenity, modesty, sadness, tranquillity and joy featuring prominently in my work."

Wu Ching-ju's work is much in demand, with several significant collections of her work established across Europe, the USA, the Middle East and China. Since 2002 her art has been permanently exhibited in London's Mayfair; Collectors include museums, members of Royalty and senior figures in business.

Her Fountain of Blessings (2008) sculpture group, commissioned by Sui An Land features a fountain with three mythological figures. This fountain is the centerpiece sculpture of Shanghai's popular development Xintiandi. It is said that the fountain has become perhaps the most photographed contemporary sculpture of China.

Inspiration

This print is made from Wu Ching-ju's oil painting "Pro Terra et Natura".

We see 2 elemental figures that represent "Earth" and "Nature", they form the avatar of a series of sculptures and paintings that Wu Ching-ju is creating to show her concern about our environment:

"After 200 years of industrialisation, the world is now facing a rapidly deteriorating natural environment.

Wu Ching-ju feels that ,notwithstanding all the efforts that are made by the world's governments to change the tide, success can only be achieved if the individual citizen is made fully aware of the grave situation. Then the individual is bound to act with more responsibility towards the environment.

As an artist I was given the means to reach out to the citizens of the world of today and tomorrow with a message of encouragement to act in balance with nature on an individual level.

The world is not our property... It was given to us and to all future generations... To live on in harmony with nature.... But we are about to recklessly destroy this balance... Nature is without defences... We cannot just make the governments responsible to solve the problems.... I feel that balanced interaction with nature can only be achieved if we learn to act responsible at the lowest possible level which is: you and me."

ThePro Terra et Natura theme is also the theme for Wu Ching-ju's monumental bronze sculpture group (50 feet high) for China's Lujiazui Park.

Hers was chosen out of hundreds of entries from all over the world for this park right in the middle of China's financial heart, at the foot of the nation's highest skyscrapers.